Fastening device



Nov. 14, 1950 v. F. ZAHODlAKlN 2,529,582

FASTENING DEVICE Original Filed Nov. 20, 1940 M'lil'g? INVENTOR.

MCTO/P FZAHOD/AK/N.

"I M M P I Patented Nov. 14, 1950 FASTENING DEVICE Victor F. Zahodiakin,Short Hills, N. J.

Original application November 20, 1940, Serial No. 366,397, now PatentNo. 2,355,196, dated August 8, 1944. v Divided and this application July10, 1944, Serial No. 544,274

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fastening devices, and moreparticularly fastening devices for releasably clamping and lookingtogether a plurality of juxtaposed members. This application is adivision of and directed to the showing of sheet 2 of the drawingappearing in but not claimed in application S. N. 366,397, filedNovember 20, 1940, which eventuated in Patent No. 2,355,196, August 8,1944.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening devicehaving means for securely clamping a plurality of juxtaposed memberstogether.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening device havingan improved lug and slot engagement which applies desired clampingpressure distributed over a considerable area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional clamp whichwill telescope to locked position and occupy minimum space.

Again, an object of the invention is to obtain both telescopic androtary motion between bu ton sections and at the same time preventrotation of one section in the yoke.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an adjustment fordesired locking pressure.

Still further objects of the invention will appear to those skilled inthe art to which it appertains as the description proceeds, both bydirect recitation thereof and by implication from the context.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts throughout the several views Figure 1is a plan of the fastening device per se in assembled condition;

' Figures 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional views shown as taken onlines 22 and 33 of Figure l, and showing the buttons sections indifferent stages of interengagement for clamping together a plurality ofjuxtaposed members:

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing the buttonsections fully interengaged and the clamping sections tightl clampingthe plurality of juxtaposed members together;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the yoke section of the clamp; and

Figures 6 and '7 are perspective views of the button sections of theclamp separately.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing,the reference numerals W, H indicate juxtaposed members, required to beheld together, and of which one, as It, may be termed the main plate,such as used in the construction of aeroplanes, automobiles, buildingsand so forth, and the other member it may be a complementary plate, suchas a cover for the service opening of aeroplanes, automobiles, buildingsand so forth. It is to be understood that though only two suchjuxtaposed plates or members are shown, any number desired may beclamped together by the means of the resent invention.

' The fastening device of the present disclosure comprises essentially asectional clamp l2, forming which there are provided two sectionsconstituting what is termed the button Ma and an-. other section whichis termed the yoke and all of which will be more fully describedhereinbelow. The button is of telescopic character and passes throughand fits registering apertures l3 and I3 through said members or platesl9, 1 l, and a like aperture through said yoke section.

The said button in the present showing comprises two sections i4, 15, ofwhich section M telescopeswithin section l5 and said sections areidentified for convenience as inner section I4 and outer section [5.Said outer section 55 of the button provides a tubular body portion 16the outer diameter of which is slightly smaller than the inside diameterof the aperture is of the plates or members 19, l I, so as to haveappropriate loose fit therein that the button section may be rotatedwhen seated in said aperture. As shown, the tubular body portion i 6 hasa length at least sufficient to pass through both said members it, I I.One end of said outer button section 15, arbitrarily designated thelower end in consequence of position where shown in the several views,is provided with a peripheral flange ll. In use, the outer telescopicbutton section 55 is slid into aperture l3 and said flange brought intoengagement with plate or member it at the margin thereof around theaperture. Said flange has a, kerf Hi to accommodate a screw driver orother appropriate tool for turning or rotating said button section.

The inner telescopic button section is has a tubular body portion 59approximately as long as body I6 of the outer section !5, and has anouter diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the outertelescopic button section l5 such that said sections may rotate withrespect to the other while telescoped. The upper end of inner buttonsection M is provided with a flange 20.

For providing the resiliency in the clamping action, said clamp providesa resilient section 2!. As shown, said resilient section is an elongatedbridged spring or yoke the ends 2m of which are in engagement with andattached to plate or member II as by rivets 22. The intermediate portion2| 1) of said resilient section or yoke 2| is oifset from and normallyparallel to said plate I I, but under pressure exerted by the buttonsections may be resilientl bowed at its mid part toward the plate.Furthermore, at the mid part of the said yoke is an aperture 23 ofgenerally circular configuration and of diameter substantially equal tothe outer diameter of the tubular body IQ of inner section Id of thebutton.

Punched upwardly from resilient section or yoke 2| at diametricallyopposite sides of the aperture 23 as an integral part of said yoke, aretwo ears or upstanding projections 24. are spaced from each other a lessdistance than the outside diameter of the flange 26 of the telescopicsection l4, and said flange is notched at diametrically opposite sides,as at 25, of width substantially that of the upstanding ears 24.manufacture, as the said tubular button section I4 is inserted in placein the aperture 23, the notches 25 will receive said ears 24, afterwhich the upper ends of the ears are upset or bent inwardly to securethe telescopic section l4 permanently in place with its flange 28 abovethe yoke section 2| and its body portion l9 projecting downwardlythrough said yoke 2| and held nonrotatable with respect thereto.

At the lower edge of the body l9 of the said telescopic inner section l4and projecting outwardly therefrom diametrically opposite each other,are two lugs 26 the upper surfaces of which are cylindrically convex.Said lugs are preferably in a diametric direction transverse to thediametric direction of the notches 25 in the flange 20. Said lugs 26 areproportioned and situated to be received in upwardly opening ends ofspiral slots or grooves 2'! formed in the tubular body portion l6 ofouter telescopic button section 55.

In use, when applying said outer section l5 to the inner button sectionM, the upper open ends of slots 21 are caused to register with the lugs26 and the outer section is then rotated which causes the lugs to feeddownwardly in the spiral slots 2'! with a screw action. As flange I! onthe lower or outer section l5 which is being rotated limits upwardmovement of that section, the upper or inner section [4 is drawn down asthe lugs 26 travel in said spiral slots 21, depressing the midportion ofyoke 2| which thereby exerts resilient tension tending to seat the lugseach in one of several humps 21a provided in the slots. B virtue ofthese humps in the slots 2'! said sections may be tightly locked beforethe lugs 26 arrive at the far ends of said slots, and thereafter,because of wear or other causes, should the plates ID, I be not lockedsufficiently the rotatable button section l5 may be turned further tobring the lugs into the next hump of the spiral slots. The structureaccordingly effects a tight clamping of the sectional clamp |2 uponplates or members H], H with desired resilient pressure, and is readilylocked or unlocked, but maintains the clamping action until an operatorapplies the appropriate tool and rotates the telescopic section.

In unlocking the sectional clamp I2, pressure applied to the tool andouter button section i5 keeps that section from jumping from theapertures |3, |3 upon release, and as the other or inner button sectionI4 is fixed in the resilient section or yoke 2|, by ears 24, it likewiseremains with the yoke. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the inner telescopicbutton section M has ade- Said ears quate length to permit engagement ofthe lugs 26 in slots 21 before any flexing of the yoke 2| occurs, sothat turning the outer section l5 becomes immediately effective to drawthe inner section and yoke toward the outer section, and no force otherthan applied by rotating the outer section is necessary to initiate orcomplete the clamping action.

I claim:

1. A fastening device for juxtaposed members, said device comprising asectional clamp one section of which is telescopic within another one ofsaid sections, one of said sections having a spiral slot starting at anoverlapping edge to the other section and said other section having aradially projecting lug engageable in said slot whereby rotation of onesection with respect to the other feeds the lug into said spiral slotand draws the sections into telescopic contraction, flanges at the outerends of said sections for exerting clamping pressure on said members assaid sections are telescoped, and a resilient yoke interposed betweenone of said flanges and the next adjacent said member, said yoke havingends projecting laterally from and having a middle part depressible withsaid one of the flanges, and having non-rotating attachment to the saidone of the flanges, and the laterally projecting yoke ends beingnon-rotatively secured to the said next adjacent member.

2. A fastening device of the character described for clamping aplurality of members together, comprising a locking button incombination with a resilient elongated yoke projecting laterally fromthe said button and attached next the ends of said yoke to one of saidmembers, and said yoke having an aperture therein at the mid-partthereof, said locking button consisting of a plurality of tubularsections one telescopic within the other, one of said sections beingsmaller in diameter than the other and insertable in said aperture andhaving a flange at the outside of said yoke in engagement therewith,said yoke having a plurality of ears next the aperture and extendinginwardly each at its outer end to contact and secure said flange andsmaller tubular section non-rotatably and non-slidably in place wherebythe inner tubular section and mid-part of the yoke move together as aunit, and said smaller tubular section having a plurality of lugsextending outwardly from the body portion thereof at a distance fromsaid flange, the larger said tubular section having slots beginning atthe overlapping end thereof with the smaller section and spiralingtoward the far end of said larger section and adapted to receive thesaid lugs for effecting telescopic movement of one section with respectto the other as said larger section is rotated, and said larger sectionhaving a flange at its said far end, said flanges of the two sectionsexerting compressive .pressure to the said members as said sectionstelescopically contact.

3. A fastening device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said slots havea plurality of humps therein for receiving said lugs and preventinginadvertent rotation of one said section with respect to the other.

4. A fastening device for juxtaposed members, said device comprising asectional clamp one section of which is telescopic within another, oneof said sections having a spiral slot entering at one end of thatsection and said other section having a radially disposed lug engageablein said slot whereby rotation of one section with respect to the otherfeeds the lug in said slot and telescopes said sections, said slothaving humps along the spiral successively further spaced from theslot-entering end of the section for retaining the lug seated uponarrival therein, and resilient means engaged peripherally of and by oneof said telescopic clamp sections for transmitting resilient compressivepressure thereof through the telescopic clamp sections to saidjuxtaposed members for clamping said members together.

5. A fastening device for juxtaposed members, said device comprising asectional clamp one section of which is telescopic within another one ofsaid sections, one of said sections having a; spiral slot starting at anoverlapping edge to the other section and said other section having aradially projecting lug engageable in said slot whereby rotation of onesection with respect to the other feeds the lug into said spiral slotand draws the sections into telescopic contraction, flanges at the outerends of said sections for exerting clamping pressure on said members assaid sections are telescoped, a resilient yoke interposed between one ofsaid flanges and the next adjacent said member, and said yoke and lastmentioned one flange having lateral engagement one with the other forpreventing rotation of the section having the flange.

6. A fastening device for juxtaposed members, said device comprising asectional clamp one section of which is telescopic within another oneGil of said sections, one of said sections having a spiral slot startingat an overlapping edge to the ing one of said flanges, means securingsaid yoke and said one of said flanges together, and means securing saidyoke and the next adjacent member together thereby retaining said flangeand clamp section of which the flange is a part assembled on the yoke.

VICTOR F. ZAHODIAKIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof-this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,123,068 Summers July 5, 19382,339,591 Weber Jan. 18, 1944 2,352,045 Van Opel June 20, 1944 2,355,196Zahodiakin Aug. 8, 1944 2,399,750 Marty May 7, 1946

